Sharks veteran a captain at the end

He famously knocked back the Cronulla captaincy a few years ago but cometh the hour, cometh the man!

Luke Lewis in action against PenrithPhoto: Getty Images

Luke Lewis will lead Cronulla out onto the field in their blockbuster Preliminary final clash with Melbourne Storm on Friday night as Sharks veteran Paul Gallen was ruled out of the side on Thursday.

Gallen suffered a shoulder injury that forced him off during the second half in last week's dramatic win over the Panthers, with the lock ruled out on Thursday after struggling to do light training during the week.